Pope Francis plays the Good Shepherd's role to perfection

Pope Francis melted hearts when he snuggled up with a baby lamb at a living nativity scene on January 6, 2014, during the holiday of Epiphany. The adorable scene was staged at St. Alfonso Maria de' Liguori parish church, in the outskirts of Rome.

In addition to being one of the most adorable pictures that has ever been taken of Pope Francis, the lamb is a powerful Christian symbol that has special significance to his papacy…

…Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of a pastoral approach in ministry, and once said that priests should stay close to the vulnerable and be “shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.” This little sheep agrees.

The lamb is sometimes seen as a metaphor for Jesus, who is known as the "Lamb of God." The title comes from John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."

Other Biblical lamb references include the passage in Isaiah 11:6 which predicts a time when, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb..." which is usually misquoted as "When the lion shall lie down with the lamb."

The pope also made time for some geese, a bunny and some kids of the human variety during his visit.